Lorena Wiebes claimed her second consecutive victory at the UAE Tour Women, winning stage 2 in Al Mirfa after a day where the crosswinds dictated the race. The SD Worx-Protime rider outsprinted Lily Williams and Lara Gillespie from a five-rider breakaway that had formed in the opening kilometres and stayed away despite repeated efforts from the chasing peloton. The result keeps Wiebes in the race lead, but Elisa Longo Borghini, who was also in the front group, gained crucial time ahead of the mountain stage tomorrow.
The 111km route through the desert was always going to be fast, but the conditions ensured it was a battle of positioning from the very start. As soon as the race left the neutral zone, the peloton began splitting in the strong winds, and a small but decisive group emerged. Wiebes, Longo Borghini, Karlijn Swinkels, Williams, and Gillespie quickly settled into a well-organised echelon, putting distance into a peloton that never managed to reassemble properly. While FDJ-SUEZ and Visma | Lease a Bike tried to keep the race together, riders caught behind the split—including Charlotte Kool—found themselves struggling to regain ground.
The break stays clear despite nearly being caught
Despite an early attempt at bringing the leaders back, the peloton never fully closed the gap. The five at the front worked efficiently, with UAE Team ADQ well-represented through Longo Borghini and Swinkels, ensuring the break’s survival. Initially, their advantage hovered around 40 seconds, but as the chase stalled, it stretched to over three minutes. By the time the peloton re-established some order, the lead had stabilised at just under two minutes. Attempts to accelerate the chase in the final hour of racing saw the deficit shrink slightly, but the damage was already done.
For UAE Team ADQ, the day was about time gains for Longo Borghini rather than stage honours, meaning Wiebes was left unchallenged for the sprint. The Dutch rider positioned herself perfectly in the final run to the line, using her experience from past wins in Al Mirfa to time her acceleration. Williams and Gillespie finished alongside her, but neither could match her finishing speed.
“I didn’t expect to win from a group of only five riders that went so early, especially because I was last to come across and the peloton was close to us for such a long time,” Wiebes said after the finish. “We got one minute lead in the headwind section and just kept going. I was lucky to have three UAE riders in the group—they kept riding for the GC for Elisa, which made it easier for me to sprint to victory. But you’re never 100% sure to win a sprint. Having won here two years ago, I knew which position I had to be in after the last curve. It felt like a very fast race all day, so I knew it was hard for the chasers. Now I hope to also win the last stage. It’s something I’m yet to achieve in the UAE Tour.”
Wiebes retains the overall lead and also holds the points classification, while Julie De Wilde took the white jersey as the best young rider, moving ahead of Nienke Veenhoven. Karlijn Swinkels took the lead in the intermediate sprints classification after her time in the break. The general classification remains tight, with Wiebes leading by 13 seconds over Gillespie and 14 seconds over Williams. However, the overall race is expected to be decided tomorrow on Jebel Hafeet, where Longo Borghini, who sits within striking distance, is poised to make her move.
2025 UAE Tour Women Stage 2 result
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Main photo credit: Getty
